


There doesn't have to be just one

by BestDeadFriendsForever



Series: love comes in many forms-verse [1]
Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Athos and Anne are precious, Awkward Athos, F/M, Modern Era, Multi, Shy Anne, The start of a MONSTER of a fic series, background to other fics that are to come
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 09:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15094214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BestDeadFriendsForever/pseuds/BestDeadFriendsForever
Summary: Anne had always been told she was pretty.When she’d been young, her nannies had always reminded her of her beauty whenever she was forced to appear at an event that her parents were hosting. Her nannies would brush her hair and sweep it up into the most fashionable style and each time they’d murmur, “Thank God you’re such a beauty. It’ll make this easier.”But Anne never thought those events were easy.





	There doesn't have to be just one

            Anne had always been told she was pretty.

            When she’d been young, her nannies had always reminded her of her beauty whenever she was forced to appear at an event that her parents were hosting. Her nannies would brush her hair and sweep it up into the most fashionable style and each time they’d murmur, “Thank God you’re such a beauty. It’ll make this easier.”

But Anne never thought those events were easy. She’d been rather shy as a child despite growing up in the public eye.

            Her beauty was what had caught the eye of her brother Phillip’s friend, Louis.

            When he’d finally asked her out on a date, she’d agreed because she’d liked Louis, though sometimes he could be a little patronizingly sexist.  It was nothing she hadn’t dealt with before, so she stayed with him.

            Louis liked to go to big galas and parties and he always invited Anne along, and like a dutiful girlfriend she agreed to go along despite the idea making her skin crawl.

This time was no different. She put on a deep red dress with a gold and jeweled bodice. She twisted her hair into a simple updo and picked up the gold hairpins that had been a gift from her mother. It was mechanical the way she got ready and then put on her makeup.

            Louis fawned when she finally stepped out after putting on her shoes. She knew how this always happened: Louis would smile and fawn and gently kiss her, but once they were at the party, she was only an accessory.

            It should bother her, but she didn’t really mind as much because that meant most people left her alone and she could just smile and trail after Louis for a little while and then find a place to sit and be alone with her thoughts.

            The gala was supposed to be a charity event for the poor children of France, an issue that Anne had genuine interest in, but it seemed no one that Louis spoke to actually cared about the children, just about how it made them look to _seem_ to care about them.

            A woman in a green and black gown sauntered over to Louis, a young man on her arm in a matching tuxedo, and Anne took that as her opportunity to excuse herself. She told Louis that she was going to grab a champagne, and he accepted the excuse with a kiss to her cheek.

            She slipped off and grabbed a champagne flute from a passing waiter, just in case Louis looked for her, and moved to stand against the wall. She’d thought she was alone but as she took a sip of her drink she noticed a man in an all black suit. She bit her lip but while he nodded at her somberly to acknowledge her arrival, he didn’t initiate conversation.

            Anne shifts a little awkwardly. She always feels a pressure to be more extroverted at these kinds of events. Everyone seems so light and talkative. She bit her lip and then shifted so that she was facing him more directly. “Lovely evening, isn’t it?” It sounds strained even to her own ears and she has to suppress the urge to wince.

            The man looks over at her and quirks a small smile. “It is.”

            Anne smiled back and she suddenly realizes she’s not sure how to sustain the conversation she just started. They both lapse into silence and take sips of their drinks, Anne her champagne and the stranger what looks like whisky or something similar.

            “Are you alone, or…?” She trailed off as she realized how that could sound. It was almost like she was trying to see whether he was single.

            “Not quite,” the man said. “My brother and,” he paused awkwardly before he continued, “my girlfriend dragged me along.”

            “Ah,” Anne said with a soft smile.

            “And yourself?”

            “My boyfriend invited me,” Anne said and twisted her glass between her fingers anxiously. “My name is Anne, by the way. Anne Haps.”

            “Athos,” the man said and held out his hand to her. “Athos de la Fére.”

            She shook his hand and she felt a small spark jump between their hands. “A pleasure to meet you.”

            “And you as well.” He gave her that small smile again and Anne was certain she was blushing. She realized she was still holding onto his hand and quickly pulled it away.

            Their silence now was less stifled and awkward as Anne scanned her eyes over the party again, finding Louis like a touchstone.

            She put a smile on his face when he started to look for her. She waved at him when he waved at her. The woman that had been going up to Louis when she’d excused herself waved and Athos waved back.

            “Is that your girlfriend?” Anne asked before she’d thought about it.

            “It is,” Athos said. “And I see she’s talking to your boyfriend.”

            “She is indeed,” Anne said.

            Athos took a drink and he pushed his hair from his eyes.

            Anne felt weird watching this stranger, but she was trying to figure him out. She wasn’t sure what to say or what to do. She wasn’t even sure if he wanted to speak at all.

            “I’m afraid I’m a rather poor conversational partner,” Athos said suddenly and with a wry smile in her direction. “That’s why I don’t frequent parties like this one that require small talk.”

            “I can’t find fault with that, I usually find I don’t know what to say either,” Anne said and smoothed the skirt of her dress. “I always end up rambling about Hugo or Dumas and boring my conversation partner to tears.”

            He perked up at that. “You enjoy classic novels?”

            She nodded enthusiastically. “I must have read _Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, La Reine Margot,_ and _Notre-Dame de Paris_ thousands of times each.”

            Athos nodded. “I used to read _Le Comte de Monte-Cristo_ to my brother Thomas before bed.” He ducked his head. “It has always been one of my favorites.”

            Anne couldn’t help the bright smile on her face. Now she felt like they could talk.

…..

            They had snagged a table and were talking animatedly about the recurring themes in Hugo’s novels when Louis and Athos’s girlfriend walked over.

            “How _dare_ you!” Anne shrieked in mock outrage. “ _Les Misérables_ is a _masterpiece_!”

            “I didn’t say that it _wasn’t_ , I merely suggested that it was one of Hugo’s lesser works thematically and it’s far too commercialized for me to enjoy on its own merit. All I can imagine is Hugh Jackman when I visualize Valjean,” Athos said with a light laugh.

            “Darling,” Athos’s girlfriend interrupted and she looked rather annoyed, “Thomas and I are ready to leave.”

            It was so commanding that Anne’s smile dropped almost immediately and she ducked her head.

            “Anne, dear, I think it’s time we left.” Anne looked up at Louis with a frown. He sounded cross with her. What had she done?

            “Oh, alright,” Anne stumbled out. She looked at Athos and he seemed to be disappointed. “I should give you my number. Perhaps we can get coffee sometime? I just _have_ to change your mind.” She gave him a small smile and he nodded. He stood and put a hand into his pocket to pull out his phone. He unlocked it easily and pulled up a new contact before handing his phone over. Anne tapped her name and number into his phone.

            “Come along, Anne,” Louis said and tugged on Anne’s arm the second she’d put Athos’s phone back into his hands.

            “Good night,” Anne smiled and waved. Louis practically pulled her from the room. “Louis!” She snapped exasperatedly and tugged her hand out of his grip. “What has gotten into you?”

            “You abandoned me to talk to a complete stranger!” Louis hissed quietly.

            Anne shook her head. “It can hardly be considered abandonment when you were hardly speaking to me in the first place.” It slipped out before she thought about it. Louis blinked at her owlishly. She pushed on before he could retaliate. “Let’s just go home now, Louis. I just realized how tired I am.”

            They walked out to the valet and the wait for the car was tense. They got in the car and Anne just watched the window as they drove back home. Once they got their she headed into her bedroom, separate from Louis’s which she was suddenly grateful for, and started to pull her hairpins out. She tossed them onto her vanity, relieved to finally ease the tension from having her hair pulled back so tightly, and slipped out of her dress. She stood for a long moment in her underwear, composing herself, before she sat at her vanity and started removing her makeup. It felt cleansing and when she was finished she got into her softest pajamas.

            She put her dress back on it’s hanger and put it back into her closet before she went into her attached bathroom to do her nightly routine. She washed her face again, brushed her teeth and took her contacts out. Her eyes felt better when she slipped her glasses onto her nose.

            She made her way back into her bedroom and after reading a chapter or two of her well-worn copy of _Les Misérables_ , which made her smile, she pulled her glasses off to go to sleep. She’d just turned out her light when her phone lit up on her nightstand and vibrated. She squinted for a moment before sitting up and putting her glasses back on.

            She leaned back against the headboard after she’d swiped her phone off the bedside table. She pushed her glasses into their proper place as she swiped to open the message. It was from a number that she didn’t know, but it made her smile nonetheless.

_From: Unknown_

_This is Athos from the gala tonight. I’m sorry about my girlfriend. She can get a little jealous at times._

            Anne saved Athos’s name into her phone before she responded.

_To: Athos de la Fére (classical novels)_

_She wasn’t any worse than Louis. I hope you can forgive him._

_From: Athos de la Fére (classical novels)_

_There’s nothing to forgive._

            Anne was thinking of a response when another message pinged through.

_From: Athos de la Fére_

_Just so you know, you might not be able to convince me of the merits of Les Mis, but I certainly wouldn’t decline the coffee idea altogether._

            Anne could just feel that this was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the beginning to a longer fic series that I've entitled "the monster OT6 fic". It made sense to me to have Athos and Anne be the first to meet since their social statuses would be the most similar before Athos's 'fall from grace'. There will be more to come but it will be a series of one shots with maybe one or two multi chapter fics.  
> Comment and tell me what you think!  
> -James


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